If you believe what you read, when Slayer aren’t on the road with each other, they’re very much doing their own thing. Tom Araya is a Christian man that enjoys being with his kids. That separation might begin to explain why the band members might not communicate with each other so well. It would also explain why a photoshopped image that Araya put up on the band’s Instagram of the band and Donald Trump was taken down. The band made a statement to Rolling Stone about it stating that they’re not a political band one way or the other. However, other comments that Araya made on the Instagram post that seem homophobic have made this about more than just politics, and a backlash is growing.
“As was verified by Tom, this was his post, is not something the band would have posted if asked, and does not belong on a Slayer social page,” the band tells Rolling Stone. “We all have our personal opinions, some of which we have voiced in the past, but Slayer has never endorsed any political party or any candidate, and the band intends to keep it that way.”
From reading Araya’s post, it’s pretty obvious that he’s a Trump guy. From the overused term “snowflake” alone, it’s obvious he’s following along his party’s line, since the only non-Republican to use that word in a way not relating to weather is Chuck Palahniuk, who coined it in Fight Club. Pitchfork also found that later on in the Instagram post, Araya wrote “Mike Pence turning fruits into vegetables,” likely in reference to the Vice President’s endorsement of conversion therapy of gay people using electroshock therapy (which, for the record, isn’t something he ever fully endorsed). However, it was still enough to offend the user, who is gay. Elsewhere in the post Araya said:
“thanks […] to everybody that has commented thanks for insight… this is how fake news gets started, not once did I say that I supported trump… and assuming I speak for the band you are mistaking .. the picture did exactly what I thought it would do… piss some of you off.”
It’s obvious from Slayer’s comments to Rolling Stone that they’re trying to save face, but when a prominent music site like Stereogum covers the story by simply titling their story “Fuck Slayer,” the damage is already done. And if Araya’s just trolling by making a semi-homophobic remark and parroting “snowflake,” “fake news” and “safe place,” then like our Commander in Cheif, maybe he should stay off social media for a while. It’s also worth noting that Kerry King said that Clinton was the “safe, correct choice” while calling Trump “the biggest liar I’ve ever seen in politics.”
